A few years ago I started a Bible study to reach out to my fellow Catholic actors. We met in this grungy/alternative/youthful/liberal pizza/beer place on campus called Shakespeare’s Pizza. It was a fun place for a Bible study.
One day I showed up a little early to look over the upcoming Sunday’s readings and prepare for the study when a man who was coming out of the bathroom approached me. This guy was clearly altered somehow. I’m not sure if he was drunk or high. His hair was sticking out like a jagged mountain range and his clothes were wrinkled like the bottom of an 80 year old man. He looked like he had just woke up. . . maybe he passed out in the stall, maybe lived in there, I don’t know.
He sputtered, “You reading the B. . .Bible?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna have a Bible study in a minute.”
“What book?”
“It’s two from the Old Testament and two from the New. We’re going over this Sunday’s readings.”
When I said that, he frowned, and I guess the movement in his face muscles threw him off balance because he stumbled and almost fell down. “Catholic?”
“Yep,” I replied bracing myself. I wasn’t really in the mood for an apologetics battle because I still needed to finish preparing for the Bible study, but I thought this might be one of those times when I needed to extend some compassion to someone who was looking for a fight.
“Well why don’t you read Romans 7:6”
So I did: “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” NIV
So I guess he felt that somehow applied to the Roman Catholic Church.
As I read the verse I tried to figure out how to have an in-depth debate about Paul’s teachings on the “law” with a drunk guy.
Side Note: if you think this referrers to the Catholic Church go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ and do a search of the book of Romans . . . or all of Paul’s epistles . . . on the keyword “law” then read what Paul was talking about, it will probably be an eye-opener for you.
Back to the story: Before I could say anything the store manager approached us, looked at the man and said, “Sir, I believe we asked you never to come back in here.”
Wow! What do you have to do to get thrown out of Shakespeare’s for life?
His best attempt at a reply was something like: “I was just talking with—”
But the manager cut him off before he could finish the sentence: “Sir, you need to leave or we’re going to call the cops.”
I guess the man knew he was going to loose that battle, so he decided to exit out the nearest door, but before he left he turned to me and said, “Romans 7:6.” Then turned and walked into the door. . . okay I made that up, but it would have been funny. But no, he just turned and left. Then the store manager walked away without saying a word.
I wasn’t very impressed with my would-be evangelizer. In a few minutes my friends showed up and we had our regular food, fellowship and Bible study.
So, if you ever feel the need to evangelize someone, don’t be drunk, and don’t get thrown out of the building for inappropriate behavior.
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